


Waiting

by BlackMageEljin



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Canon Universe, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, a lot of sexual tension, because Gyoukuen's creepy bad touching, briefly mentioned canon suicide attempt, but nothing explicit on that front, eventually aggressively fluffy, from belial's dungeon to post canon, mentions of canon non permanent character death, missing scenes fic, smut in some chapters, this was supposed to be a one shot but then it was 20k???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25817959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackMageEljin/pseuds/BlackMageEljin
Summary: Judar had waited this long to stand at Hakuryuu's side, he could wait until after their revenge to lay in his bed, if that was what his king wanted.A series of missing scene style stories starting after Hakuryuu conquers Belial.
Relationships: Judal | Judar/Ren Hakuryuu
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	1. Promise

**Author's Note:**

> I sat down to write a oneshot of their first time and instead this happened??? The first few chapters take place during the events leading up to the civil war, and the rest are pretty much Hakuryuu's trip to find Judar in his hometown (Which became a meandering beast of its own which I now have no control over??). I considered separating these two parts into two separate fics but even if it was detachable it was nicely linear so i decided against it. Assuming it doesn't expand further than what I currently have planned (50/50 shot there>>) I am on the second to last chapter and will be updating weekly. Regardless of the fact this isn't what I had intended to write it was a lot of fun! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it <3
> 
> Also apologies in advance for the fact that the chapters are all of wildly different lengths and tones >>

Ever since they had been reunited outside Belial's dungeon Judar could not take his eyes off him.

Hakuryuu had found him in no time at all, appeared from the jungle brush in tattered clothes and bandaged wounds from Belial's trials yet still with all the majesty and grace of his royal blood. The rukh danced around him as black as his own heart, buzzing with cries for justice against those who had wronged them. Hakuryuu's rukh had always been honest, and what it showed him now was more beautiful than all the riches he had been showered with as high priest combined and then some. All those years of patience had finally paid off.

He followed him closely, eyes always on him, as they made their way through the jungle. Chatter was anything but idle- everything Hakuryuu did was with purpose, every word a meaningful test of his new strength or the building blocks of plans that would be the demise of that awful woman. Transfixed as he was Judar was still himself, his words still cheeky even if the air of judgement in them had all but vanished. Hakuryuu was his king now, after all, his purpose was to follow him and make him great.

Not that he had lost his will by any means. He would question his king, listen to his answers to see if he was still worthy. He always was, of course. Fallen and utterly drenched in black, every answer Hakuryuu gave him was somehow even better, crueler, and more cunning than anything he could expect. 

Together, they were truly unstoppable.

They had stopped for the night, setting up camp under the canopy as they traveled. With Judar's power alone, without even counting Hakuryuu's Djinn, they could be at their destination in a near instant. But Hakuryuu insisted they travel this way for just a while longer, to ensure he could gather as much understanding of Belial's strength before they took their next step. Judar complained, of course, but that's all it was. He had no intention of actually arguing- he waited this long after all, he could be patient for a little while longer.

Judar still watched him, even as Hakuryuu went about the mundane task of cooking food over the fire. For him something so simple was mindless, his eyes distant as plans and strategies ran across them. Even like this Hakuryuu was dangerously beautiful.

Judar was maybe just a little surprised his king had yet to comment on all the staring. But then, it was probably because he already understood- Hakuryuu wasn't one to ask pointless questions after all.

After the meal - impeccable, as anything touched by his king was - Judar finally sat up from where he had been lounging across a bed of tree roots. 

"Hey, there's nothing else to be done today right? That snake you were messing with finally died. Let's do something fun."

Hakuryuu looked back at him, the rukh twitching in agitation. But for Hakuryuu's expressive rukh that was hardly anything- he'd seen those black swarms rage as his experiments with Belial's powers went wrong for the first time. No, this was Hakuryuu being intrigued- no matter how obnoxious he was, Hakuryuu valued the words of his Magi. The thought alone was enough to send Judar's own rukh buzzing.

Finally Hakuryuu smirked, looking back at the fire. "And what sort of atrocities are your idea of 'fun'?"

Judar shivered. Hakuryuu knew him well, he always had even if he spent years denying it. But not anymore, he had finally realized they were exactly the same.

In a fluid, levitation aided movement, Judar was at Hakuryuu's side, only inches apart. 

"Well now that you've fallen it's only natural, right?" he began ominously, only willing to speak the words that would clarify his intent hotly against the shell of his king's ear. "To do depraved things, that is."

Judar trailed his fingers all too lightly down Hakuryuu's spine and the prince shuddered, a blush staining the unscarred half of his face. For the first time since the dungeon a shadow of the naive, crybaby prince who had denied Judar year after year was visible. Well, Hakuryuu  _ was _ still a virgin, but surely that didn't matter anymore, or so Judar thought.

And then Hakuryuu pulled away.

Judar tried to push down the panic that crashed over him. "You don't want to?" The question was asked more calmly than it had any right to be. Hakuryuu was his king, he wasn't sure he could do anything if he said no. But then, he was also pretty sure anything less than Hakuryuu just wouldn't be enough to get him off anymore. To say palace maids and handsome guards paled in comparison was an understatement- not even Kouha's pretty little mouth would be enough, not that he was an option anymore.

In that moment, as he looked at the tattered remnants of Hakuryuu's innocence, was the first and last time he truly questioned his king.

But he wasn't disappointed.

"It's not that," Hakuryuu answered, and Judar let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. He relaxed, allowing himself at least the platonic contact of draping himself over Hakuryuu's shoulder.

"Then  _ whyyy?? _ " he whined petulantly.

Hakuryuu looked at him, the shadows of innocence completely stamped out along with any lust, both beaten out and utterly decimated by pure, unrelenting  _ rage. _

"Not until she's dead."

Judar stared in utter awe. Hakuryuu, his beautiful, perfect, wholey black stained king, had yet again given him an answer more amazing than he could fathom. He couldn't think of anything more perfect than consummating their union over the mutilated corpse of that vile bitch.

It was a terrible and twisted thought, but it made Judar's heart flutter like a schoolgirl in love.

And all that wasn't even considering the fact that Hakuryuu clearly thought he would be too much of a distraction if they started with that before their goal. That was flattering in its own right.

"Of course, my king," he finally agreed with a grin only rivaled by the one he wore as he watched the prince fall.

Hakuryuu sighed like it was a hassle, but the rukh told a different story. They radiated want, need, and determination. They still screamed out for vengeance, but it was twisted together with everything else, melding together with Judar's own rukh into a sea of insidious intent of every kind.

In that moment Judar was truly happy.


	2. First Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this just a bit early since I'm not going to be able to this weekend. I had a lot of fun with this part, enjoy!

It had been a few days since they had arrived at the backwater outpost that was apparently considered a military base, despite Judar's utter lack of recognition.

They had both been training and studying tirelessly, every day, until the complete exhaustion of their strength. Hakuryuu continued to hone his skills with Belial and implement his plans, while Judar drowned himself in the sea of knowledge Magnostadt's rukh had to offer.

He was  _ exhausted. _

Bags had formed under both their eyes. It wasn't cute at all, but he knew it would be worth it.

Oh would it be worth it.

He flopped back along the foot of Hakuryuu's bed. It was late, and even though his king had changed into night clothes and supposedly retired, he was still sitting up in the bed futzing with Belial's scythe again.

Judal looked at him incredulously. "I have all the black rukh in the world at my disposal, how are you less tired than me?" he complained loudly. Well, it wasn't as though Hakuryuu didn't  _ look _ tired, he was just powering through it. Somehow.

Hakuryuu didn't look up from his work as he answered, "If it was anyone besides you, the task I had given you would be insurmountable, wouldn't it?"

Judar blinked.

Oh, he had been praised.

"That's right," he agreed quickly, the light blush on his cheeks barely noticeable compared to the toothy grin. He crawled up the bed to Hakuryuu's side - actually crawled, because for once he was too tired to even float - and flopped against the pillows next to him.

Hakuryuu gave him a warning look.

" _ Whaaat?  _ I'm keeping my hands to myself, see?" he protested, holding up both his hands to make his point. "I'm not going to ruin things by jumping the gun."

Hakuryuu looked unconvinced, but then, that was because it wasn't really Judar he was worried about. He had an  _ iron _ will, but he was also exhausted after days of spilling out his magoi in its entirety. Like this it was hard not to let his eyes roam over Judar's body splayed out next to him like the sinful offering it was. Judar placing his hands up beside his head where he could see them - where he could easily grab both of those wrists and pin him under him - was not helping his self-control. He tried focusing instead on the shallow scar splitting across Judar's brazenly bared midriff, a reminder of the dungeon, of their goal, of their promise. But then, it also laid across such lasciviously toned muscles.

He finally looked away, but he was a fool if he thought Judar hadn't noticed. Especially with the utterly shit-eating grin the Magi beamed at him.

"Oh~ but maybe my king has finally run out of patience," Judar teased in a sing-song voice.

Hakuryuu scowled. "You spend half the day staring at me, it's only fair if I return the favor." 

"That so?" That was often a dangerous thing to hear Judar say. Hakuryuu felt the bed shift. He shouldn't look, he knew he shouldn't, but he did anyway.

Judar was dangerously seductive when he wasn't even trying, but when he  _ was _ he was as if the very concept of lust itself had been personified. He was draped perfectly across the pillows and mattress, his braid laid out in an alluring curve that drew the eyes down, even the baggy harem pants had seemed to have fallen  _ just so _ so that the fabric draped and outlined the body beneath with just the right amount left to the imagination. If this was Judar's expression while simply laying in anticipation, he couldn't imagine what it would be like in the act itself. The magi's hands trailed slowly and sensually down his own body, fingers dipping into every curve and muscle Hakuryuu himself long to touch.

Hakuryuu wanted him  _ badly _ . It was harder to refute the urge than it had been before, because he had finally come to terms with the desire and had the conscious understanding that  _ yes, he wanted Judar now, even in that way. Judar was his Magi, Judar was his sole ally, Judar would be his lover. Judar was his everything and the only one who existed in the same world he did, and they would revel in that hell together. _ It had taken some days, but he realized he really did understand Judar's feelings perfectly, why Judar had asked to do  _ depraved things _ with him so soon after Belial.

He had been confused, confused why Judar was suddenly asking for that now, confused why it didn't repulse him like he expected it to, confused why Judar's logic somehow made so much sense. He had been embarrassed, he had never properly been with anyone, but in the grand scheme of things that seemed so foolish. Surely such a base physical act couldn't be a trial for him after everything else he had faced. He refused to let shame or fear control him now, but that left the question of if he wanted  _ Judar.  _

His gut told him  _ yes _ , but he wasn't one to act on something until he understood it. He spent days peeling the feelings apart layer by layer, separating out lust and affection and comradery. As he and Judar worked together, amassing power to tear down everything that had ever hurt them, the answer became obvious. They were the same, just as Judar himself had said. Exactly the same, the only ones who knew what it was like to drown in that black sea of hatred while everyone else seemed to be able to just walk away and  _ move on _ , to hypocritically only call for justice when it was  _ convenient  _ rather than burn down everything until things had been set  _ right _ . They understood each other, and Hakuryuu finally realized he wouldn't be content until the barrier between them had been shattered completely, until he knew every inch of his beautiful black Magi mind, body, and soul.

But he would wait.

They had priorities, and razing everything Al-Tharmen had ever touched to the ground in bloody retribution came first.  _ Then _ they could revel in each other's depravity.

Judar truly was depraved, debasing himself joyously to put on a good show for his king, displayed fully all laid out on his bed. It was almost sweet of him, in a twisted way.

Then Judar's hand began to slip below the line of his pants and Hakuryuu decided that was too much. In a moment Belial's scythe was gone and he grabbed the offending wrist, using it to yank Judar upright and putting an end to the shameless display.

" _ Enough _ ."

Judar just looked at him breathlessly, he seemed like he might spill himself just from being admonished. "Yes, my king~" he all but purred.

The problem was now they were far too close. He hadn't quite intended for Judar to stop with his face so near to his own. Perhaps he was more tired than he had thought…

He couldn't help it anymore.

Surely, just a kiss was alright. Just to tide them over.

The thick, tense air being breathed between them was shattered in an instant as Hakuryuu crashed his lips down on the Magi's. They were soft, and sweet. He tasted like peaches, because of course he did, it was practically the only thing he ate. It was satisfying, biting at them until they were as chapped as his own.

Judar mewled, a desperate whining sound that was music to Hakuryuu's ears. The hand not being held in the vice of Hakuryuu's wooden grasp was fisting desperately in the sheet. He parted his lips eagerly, desperate to please his king, desperate to taste and to  _ feel _ . Hakuryuu was nothing short of domineering, rough and demanding in a way that left Judar dizzy. It was only clumsy for the shortest of moments, because even if it was only the prince's second kiss ever he had clearly decided to simply do and take what he wanted, what felt good for him, Judar's needs be damned. The thought alone had the Magi quaking with want and desire.

It ended too quickly.

Hakuryuu had pulled away from him, panting and flushed, a string of saliva pulled between his lips that he cut down with his tongue only after licking Judar's blood clean from his teeth.

_ It was the most arousing thing Judar had seen in his entire life. _

Judar licked the blood beading at his wound in turn, utterly undeterred by the damage. It only spurred him on- in that moment he would happily let Hakuryuu rip him apart if that was what his king desired.

Hakuryuu finally snapped out of his trance, wiping his mouth with the back of his flesh hand.

"That's all you get for now. If you want more go take care of it yourself in your own room."

Judar gulped, his body heating up even more and absolutely quivering with want. Because well,

_ His king had basically just ordered him to go jack off to him. _

Judar was dazed, star struck. How was Hakuryuu so delightfully, sinfully  _ perfect _ ?

"A-as my king commands," he finally managed to stammer out, his breath still coming out in heavy pants. He floated off the bed - magic was certainly easier than walking after  _ that  _ \- and out of the room. Back to his own, where he would waste no time in ripping off his clothes and imagining every depraved thing his dear king would do to him. With Hakuryuu only a few walls away knowing that he was desperately touching himself as he cried out his name.

Wow.

_ Wow. _

Hakuryuu watched Judar go, finally laying back in his bed when he was sure he had left. Any energy he had for productive things was surely spent now, in the end even just that kiss had probably been too much…

He reached under the sheets and his robe, and he too thought of all the depraved things he and Judar would soon do to each other.


	3. Tending Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter is the reason we have noncon tags. Again- nothing explicit, but references to Gyoukuen bad touching and implied past abuse. This chapter is mostly hurt/comfort and focuses on Judar and Hakuryuu coping with things after the battle.
> 
> I think this chapter is technically a bit late being posted and I am really sorry for that >> Most of the chapters after this are going to start getting progressively longer so there's that to look forward to!

They finally killed her.

Al-Tharmen, Gyoukuen, it had all been destroyed.

They didn't make love over her corpse like Judar had wanted. Besides the fact that it had exploded, it just wouldn't have been logistically feasible. There were loose ends to tie up, the old geezers who had joined them around, not to mention they had both taken a lot of damage in the fight.

But Judar wasn't disappointed, oddly enough.

Night had finally come. Logistics of the new changes in Rakushou had begun to turn, Hakuryuu had had his wounds treated as the rightful emperor and had finally been left to rest in his chambers.

Judar floated in, draped on his spear, and hovered right at his king's bedside. Surely he could help him recover by helping him…  _ relax. _

"We finally did it, my king," Judar declared with a giddy expression.

"Yes. We did."

The look Hakuryuu gave him wasn't what he had expected at all. It wasn't a devious lust riding off the high of his victory, it was… soft, and  _ tired.  _ It was more reminiscent of Hakuryuu before he fell, but really it wasn't a look he had seen on him at all, black or white. He managed a smile for him, for his dear Magi, but with his lips pulled up just barely, that was it. His eyes…

There wasn't affection.

There wasn't rage.

There was just…  _ nothing. _

Judar's own expression slowly fell. No… Hakuryuu wouldn't be up for anything too fun like this. He wouldn't… really want to ask him to do anything with him like that either. Of course he didn't want to keep waiting, but he would. He had to. Before anything else he had to actually take care of his king. And Hakuryuu…

His injuries weren't just physical. He couldn't blame him for that.

"Hey, Judar…" Hakuryuu finally spoke, snapping Judar out of his thoughts. "Would you…"

Hakuryuu's voice faded and Judar floated closer. He was just staring blankly at the sheet pulled up to his lap. Whatever it was his king wanted, Judar was going to do it with gusto.

Hakuryuu's hands tightened, balled into fists. "Please, get the taste of that vile woman out of my mouth."

He was shaking, he knew it and he hated it. He didn't want to look so weak in front of Judar, but then again, Judar surely understood. His life had also been crushed under the heel of that woman- he would judge him for many things, but not for this.

"Yeah," was all Judar said. Nothing playful, nothing scandalous. Now wasn't the time for that. Hakuryuu was right, he understood, and he would do whatever he could to pull the last of Gyoukuen's claws from his king's wounds.

He carefully floated into Hakuryuu's lap, his spear quietly lowered to the floor beside them. Hakuryuu looked up at him and he was tired, _so_ tired. Judar held his face in both his hands gently, and then finally, carefully, he kissed him.

It was nothing like the kiss they had shared before, passionate and desperate. This was soft,  _ melancholy.  _ This wasn't a kiss to quench desire, it was a kiss to heal something that had been broken, to sap the poison out. That wasn't something Judar was very good at, he was still shit with the 8th type of magic, but for his king he would try his damnedest.

It had been a horrible thing to watch, that vile bitch defiling his king. He hated himself for just standing there, just watching in shock. Even if he would have surely died with no Borg to protect him in the barrier, he should have charged full force and stopped her from touching him in a place that was meant only for  _ him _ , stopped her from hurting his king in a way that would leave scars as deep as the burns still left on his body. He felt like a fucking coward, so the absolute least he could do was this.

He didn't even want to think about how maybe, maybe Hakuryuu wasn't a virgin after all. He sure as hell wasn't going to ask. Whatever had happened, every atrocity that vapid bitch had forced them through, now they would finally be able to put it behind them.

Judar had never really kissed tenderly before, but he thought he was doing alright. It was easier than he thought it'd be, and Hakuryuu seemed to be warming up. He had finally unclenched his hands, moved his arms up to drape them around Judar's shoulders and pull him closer. Judar took the cue to slide his hands back into Hakuryuu's hair.

It was… nice.

They stayed like that for a while, just kissing. Not even making out, no wandering hands or heady nips, just slow, soft kisses.

Eventually Hakuryuu parted, looking up at Judar with a faint blush and a soft smile. At a glance it would have looked like an expression he'd wear before he had fallen, but it wasn't. Judar could see it in his eyes again, a black storm of emotion flickering, the affection for the man in his lap bleeding together with the hatred for the person who had caused this situation to be at all. Hakuryuu was still Hakuryuu, still his king. He would just need time.

Judar did his best to mirror the expression, but his face didn't quite have the ability to make such soft things. He smiled, but there was always an edge to it, no matter how sweet he tried to make it for his king.

"...Thank you." Hakuryuu said it almost as though he was surprised Judar had complied with his request. As if there had ever been any other option.

"Anything for my king," he answered easily. Then he pulled away, began sliding backwards out of Hakuryuu's lap and taking the sheets with him. Hakuryuu watched curiously, intrigued by what Judar was doing and confident it wasn't something crass after the moment they just shared. When he was finally sitting at Hakuryuu's feet he carefully slipped a hand under the king's calf and ankle, gingerly lifting his leg into the air as though it were made of glass, before finally leaning down and pressing a single kiss to the top of his foot.

Hakuryuu had worn a light blush before, but now he was so red his scars looked pale. Judar had sworn his loyalty to him before, declared repeatedly that he was his king, but seeing someone as proud as Judar do something like kiss his feet was still…

" _ Judar… _ " He managed to keep the reprimand in his voice, at least.

Judar blinked up at him, honestly confused for a moment until he saw the state his display of loyalty had left Hakuryuu in. He grinned.

"So this is the sort of thing that gets you going? I'll have to keep that in mind."

" _ Judar! _ "

The Magi snickered. Hakuryuu watched him, still sitting at his feet, carefully returning his leg to the position he had found it in. The top of his foot sparked, electricity shooting all the way up his leg from what had just been the soft brushing of lips on his skin. It felt more intimate than any debauchery they could accomplish- maybe it was because Judar was inherently such an impish being that it felt that way. His stomach churned, flipping and twisting with too many feelings that all stemmed from Judar. But that was alright, and it was certainly better than the void of nothingness it felt like he was falling into.

Judar finally flopped back next to him, posed with his head propped up on his hand and grinning at Hakuryuu still. He was still worried, of course, but it seemed being himself was enough to snap Hakuryuu out of his listlessness for the time being. That was what his king had asked him to do, really, and being a distraction came naturally to him.

"If I may be so bold, my liege," Judar began. Hakuryuu raised a weary, questioning eyebrow.

"Go on…"

"You're pretty cute when you get all worked up over something like that, Hakuryuu."

Just as the blush had begun to fade it came back full force. Hakuryuu looked in the opposite direction of those stupid glittering red eyes and scoffed loudly. It wasn't very convincing, but at least he tried.

"If you're going to stay you're going to have to change into proper night clothes." It was snapped out as an irritated reprimand, but Judar was well trained to read between the lines. He was surprised Hakuryuu was inviting him to stay even if it was indirectly, but he was happy. They might not be getting up to anything, but he could hardly complain about sharing his king's bed.

"As my king commands~" he chirped cheerily. Of course, rather than return to his own quarters he floated over to Hakuryuu's wardrobe and took one of his sleeping robes. He even had the decency to slip behind the dressing screen to change, he thought Hakuryuu would be proud of him for that.

In no time at all he was making his way back to the bed, sliding in under the covers and cozying up to his king. Judar was a clingy, physical creature. It was a secret to no one, but it was still surprising to Hakuryuu how natural it was cuddling with the man who could have easily been chaos and destruction incarnate. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

That night, he fell asleep listening to Judar ramble about nothing, letting his voice chase away the worst memories of that woman licking at his heels. Finally, those thoughts would join her in her grave…

***

Judar woke up to the feeling of someone petting his hair. He yawned, trying to blink his eyes open as he rubbed the sleep out of one of them. 

"Hm...?"

"Is that any way to greet your king, Judar?"

He awoke much quicker at the sound of that voice. He looked up to see Hakuryuu laying next to him, propped up just slightly on the menagerie of pillows. The hand not in his hair appeared to be fiddling with some magic from Zagan, though given it was his wooden hand it may have just been some kind of maintenance, Judar was still too sleepy to be sure.

What was important was that Hakuryuu was smirking down at him, his rukh chirping with unsated anger and overall looking much more like himself than the night before.  _ This _ was the appearance of his beautiful, black-stained king. As long as he returned to  _ this _ , continued to march forward and bend the world to his fancy, he would be happy to nurse his wounds between battles. Hakuryuu had been anything but weak in that moment, it was simply a natural part of the flow of war.

"Good morning, my king," Judar corrected himself easily, grinning up at the radiant abyss that Hakuryuu was. He took the hand in his hair in his own and brought it gingerly to his lips, kissing the knuckles one at a time. This was the sort of thing that had gotten him such a reaction before, after all.

When he looked up at Hakuryuu through his lashes his king  _ was _ blushing, but he wasn't acting flustered or out of sorts as he had last night. He was grinning down at him, pleased and possessive, watching every movement of Judar's lips with unashamed satisfaction.

Yes, Hakuryuu was feeling  _ much _ better today.

He didn't say anything or give any warning. Hakuryuu had simply decided Judar kissing his hand wasn't enough, so he pushed past where it was receiving attention in favor of grabbing his Magi by the collar and dragging him up to his level. In the next moment he was crashing their lips together, rough and desperate as it had been the first time.

" _ Mm! _ "

As it often was with Hakuryuu, Judar was surprised, but not at  _ all _ disappointed. He quickly brought his hands up to fist in the prince's - excuse him,  _ the emperor's  _ \- robes. He melted a bit at being manhandled like that, Hakuryuu always seemed to push all his buttons without even trying.

But then they parted, and  _ that  _ was disappointing.

Judar let out a wordless whine of protest, Hakuryuu only seemed amused.

"There's work to be done today, Judar. Unlike you, I can't afford to doze the morning away." He traced his thumb over Judar's cheek before pulling away entirely, sliding out of the bed and getting ready for the day.

Judar sputtered. "Hey! I do plenty of things, I'll have you know."

"Hm." 

Judar huffed, then decided to try a different tactic. He loosened the robe he was wearing (which, bonus, smelled like Hakuryuu and that was amazing) to slip off his shoulder and splayed himself out invitingly on the bed. 

"What about fucking the morning away~" he offered in a sultry tone.

Hakuryuu didn't even look at the Magi. It was a wise tactical decision. "No."

Judar whined again. " _ You're heartless! _ "

At that Hakuryuu dared to grin over his shoulder. "Would you have me any other way?"

Judar blinked, then met Hakuryuu's grin with one of his own. "No ♥"


	4. Together at Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter makes up almost a fourth of the entire word count of what I have written and it's all smut. Enjoy.

A week had passed.

Hakuryuu had been ping-ponging between highs and lows. Nothing was  _ quite  _ as bad as the night of that bitch's death, but that was only because Hakuryuu had different demons to wrestle with now. Judar understood, he had felt it too, even if it wasn't as bad. That emptiness, the horrible drifting feeling of being lost between a finished goal and the start of a new one. But it was easier for him, because he had his king to follow. The weight of that decision wasn't on him, it was all on Hakuryuu, of course it was hard.

He knew he just needed time. A week wasn't so bad, he wasn't worried yet. Hakuryuu was strong.

But that didn't mean it wasn't annoying. Hakuryuu had only let him share his bed one other time since, and nothing had really come of it. Apparently, even actually just  _ sleeping _ next to his king was still a privilege he had to earn. He'd be less bitter about that if it wasn't so obvious Hakuryuu was having trouble sleeping on his own. He must have rearranged his bed a dozen times now...

Then, finally, Hakuryuu had sorted himself out. He had declared war on Kouen, and honestly the way Hakuryuu had explained it to him just tied him to his king even more. Hakuryuu really was just as horribly fucked up as he was, it made him so happy. Really happy. He had sort of been fantasizing about them conquering the world together all day.

Everything had finally fallen into place.

So  _ surely _ tonight would finally be the night.

Judar entered Hakuryuu's chambers on foot this time, just so he could drape himself attractively in the doorway.

"Good evening, my king."

Hakuryuu glanced up from his desk. He hadn't changed into night clothes yet, instead still reading over various scrolls and atlases. 

"Judar."

Judar's expression fell a bit when Hakuryuu immediately returned to his work. But he wasn't going to be deterred. He floated over, hovering next to the desk.

"That eager to off Kouen, huh?"

"They have an advantage of overwhelming numbers, we can't underestimate him," Hakuryuu answered without looking at Judar at all this time. The Magi huffed.

"Yeah, sure, but  _ you _ have the overwhelming advantage of  _ me. _ " This time Judar floated just a few inches over the table, spreading himself out to make his point.

"That's true. But we may be tied up dealing with the metal vessel users directly," he countered. At least he seemed somewhat amused by Judar's antics.

Judar sighed, floating higher again and half upside down. His floating posture always became creative when he was  _ particularly _ antsy. "Look, you know I love hearing you talk about war and vengeance and shit but it's no fun when you're being all…" Judar didn't really know how to appropriately phrase ' _ not actively fucking me _ ' ' _ being a horrible tease _ ' or ' _ saying a bunch of sexy stuff without letting me touch you _ ' into the sentence he had, so he gave up and instead made a weird gesture with his hands. 

Hakuryuu leaned back in his chair, the amused look not yet leaving his eye. "Oh? 'Being all'  _ what,  _ Judar? I don't think I understand."

Of course, his tone made it clear he understood perfectly, he just wanted to make Judar suffer. Fine, if that was the game he wanted to play, Judar wasn't going to just back down.

He floated himself upright again and over his king's lap. His face was close, but his expression wasn't seductive, it was stern.

"Hakuryuu, you are my king and I will follow you to hell and back. But I swear, if you tell me we have to wait until you kill Kouen now, my dick's gonna fall off."

Hakuryuu laughed. Actually laughed at him, literally right in his face.

"Come on!  _ Hakuryuuuu! _ " he whined. Hakuryuu grinned, trailing a finger under Judar's chin.

"Mm, what was it you said? 'You're pretty cute when you get all worked up over something like that.'"

Judar sputtered, his mouth opening and closing uselessly as his own words were thrown back in his face. Had Hakuryuu just been messing with him this whole time?

"Bastard," Judar spat. Hakuryuu grinned like it was a compliment.

In the next moment Judar felt the cold, rough surface of Hakuryuu's artificial arm on his back yanking him down properly into his king's lap.

"That would be 'Your Majesty, Lord Bastard, Emperor of Kou'," Hakuryuu corrected. Despite still trying to be pissy Judar cracked a smile.

"Oh,  _ forgive me, _ " he began, sarcasm dripping from the phrase. "Your Majesty, the  _ Great _ Ren Hakuryuu, the  _ One and Only True _ Emperor of the Great Kou Empire, my Chosen King, the Black King Vessel, future ruler of the world…" He laid it on thick, tracing around the edge of Belial's pauldron on Hakuryuu's chest as he spoke. This was the weakness he had discovered, if Hakuryuu was going to be difficult he had no choice but to exploit it.

Hakuryuu, to his credit, had managed to keep a good deal of control over himself, for now. His breathing  _ may _ have become just a bit more labored…

He leaned forward, Judar still held securely in his lap and their faces just inches apart now.

"Just tell me what you want, Judar. That's not usually such a problem for you."

Judar licked his lips. No, it wasn't, Hakuryuu had a point. He normally just demanded the things he wanted outright, but Hakuryuu was his king, it was different. But now that he had been told -  _ ordered -  _ to say it…

"I want you to fuck me in the most depraved way imaginable."

Hakuryuu's answer was to pull Judar flush against him and all but devour his mouth. A pleased whine spilled from Judar as he  _ finally _ got what he wanted, his hands fisting in Hakuryuu's clothes and hair. The king's flesh hand found the back of Judar's neck, holding him still as he utterly ravished him.

But then, suddenly, it was over. Judar was being pushed away from his king and Hakuryuu was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Judar opened his mouth to protest, but Hakuryuu spoke first.

"Strip."

_ Oh. _

Judar scrambled off his king's lap, now understanding that kissing was only stopping so even better things could happen. He wasted no time in pulling what little clothes he had off of him, watching as Hakuryuu doffed his armor faster than he thought possible.

Judar had actually only managed to rid himself of his shirt and bangles when Hakuryuu had decided he was disrobed enough to move to the bed. He grabbed Judar by the wrist and all but threw him into it, hovering over him a moment later with his hands planted firmly in the mattress to pin the Magi in place. Even just this had heat pooling in Judar's gut, his eyes staring dazed up at the beautifully stained king above him. Hakuryuu had stripped down to only his innermost robe and pants, the thin yi hanging open to expose his bandaged chest.

There was another pause, the tension in the air thick and electric. This was just how Hakuryuu was- perfectly still one moment, then an unstoppable raging storm the next. Judar loved it.

"Let out your hair."

Judar sucked in air that suddenly felt too thin. Something about that request had turned him on way too much. Because Hakuryuu was ordering him around? Because he was still looming over him like some kind of predator? Because he had demanded to see Judar's  _ hair _ , the part of his body he was the most proud of?

Mostly the latter, but definitely a mix of all of the above. "As my king commands," he answered breathlessly. His mouth was so dry, but it didn't matter, Hakuryuu wanted to see his hair. He reached up and undid the ribbon at the base of the braid. As he pulled it he released the magic that held his hair's perfect form, the strands falling out and loose in perfect time with the motion.

Hakuryuu watched, transfixed, and ran his fingers through the inky cascade that was as black as the rukh around them. Judar was truly an otherworldly creature, too beautiful to be real, and yet, here he was.

And he was his and his alone.

The thought sparked something in him. He used the fingers carded through Judar's hair to bring it up to his lips, to kiss it, to run the perfectly soft silky stands over the sensitive skin of his cheek. Finally he locked his gaze with Judar's once more.

"You're mine."

Judar gasped silently again, choking back a moan at Hakuryuu's words. How was it possible for someone to turn him on this much without touching him?

" _ Yes, _ " he agreed eagerly. He finally reached up to his king, trailing his hands slowly over his bandaged chest and into the robe.

Hakuryuu smirked, his eyes roaming over Judar, memorizing every inch of him. Then his smirk widened, and he said, "So this is enough to excite you that much?"

He shifted, planting his knee between Judar's legs and pulling the already too thin fabric tighter against his erection. Judar  _ keened. _

"I've been waiting for this for  _ years _ , of course it is!" he snapped back, his nails digging into Hakuryuu's sides. He wasn't embarrassed or flustered, just desperate. He might have been blushing, but that was more cause than effect, he was this aroused, after all.

Hakuryuu paused again, unpacking the sentence carefully. Not the week since they killed Gyoukuen, not the months since they captured Belial, but years. Judar had really wanted this, wanted  _ him _ from the very beginning. He had truly meant it when he said he was his one and only king and that he had never accepted anyone else, had continued to wait for him after being rejected over and over…

Judar watched carefully as he saw the look in Hakuryuu's eyes change. It was more than just lust, it was hunger, complete and utter  _ possessiveness _ . The Magi's breath was coming out in shallow pants, and his hands gripped at his king's sides, but otherwise he waited.

Suddenly Hakuryuu moved, all at once his knee was gone and instead there was a hand yanking harem pants all the way down and off the Magi's ankles. He wrapped his hand around Judar's flushed, exposed cock without shame or hesitation, doing his best to slide his hand up and over the warm flesh the same way he would touch himself.

"Ah!  _ Shit _ …" Judar cried, his hands falling back to the bed and fisting in the sheets. 

"So, Judar," Hakuryuu began casually as though he wasn't currently jacking the other man off. "What is the most depraved thing you know that two men can do to each other."

Judar had requested he take him in the  _ most depraved way imaginable _ , and he intended to make good on that. But Judar would obviously know more about something like that, so he had to ask. It was easier than he thought it would be.

Judar felt dizzy. There were a lot of thoughts flying around in his head, besides just the  _ delectable  _ question he had just been asked, and it was hard to focus on any one of them with Hakuryuu constantly touching him. He almost felt guilty- he had wanted his king to dominate him, sure, but he hadn't expected to wind up just laying there and taking it like he was now.  _ He _ was supposed to be pleasuring  _ Hakuryuu _ . He tried to think of an answer that would let him accomplish that, but that was obviously too many steps for his current mental state.

"Mm… mirror, rimming, 69…" He had just started listing off vaguely kinky sex acts, they were definitely not the most depraved things he could think of, had even done, but his brain was mush right now. " _ Haa- _ you shouldn't be doing all the work!"

The protest slipped out with Judar's jumbled thoughts, but he was too much of a mess to care. To make his point he lifted his leg and expertly caressed Hakuryuu's own straining want with his foot, with far more dexterity and practice than any decent person had the right to have. But of course, Judar was not a decent person, and they were supposed to be reveling in depravity anyway.

Hakuryuu groaned, his hand stuttering to a stop as the pleasure of his own arousal being touched without warning crashed over him. For a moment he was stuck like that, leaning over Judar with a shameless expression of ecstasy dripping from his features.

To Judar it was  _ perfect. _

The moment was shattered as soon as Hakuryuu got his wits back. He grabbed Judar's ankle, pushing it forward until the Magi's knee was digging into his stomach.

"I told you, you're  _ mine _ ," he repeated. He was still touching him, but it was no longer with purpose, almost as if he was simply idly fidgeting with Judar's cock.

The Magi whined, but it was silenced with a kiss. Judar was quick to tangle his arms around Hakuryuu, to take his unrestrained leg and shamelessly wrap it around his king's waist to draw him close. He really loved the way Hakuryuu kissed him, rough, needy, and unrelenting.

Hakuryuu broke the kiss, only to trail more over the Magi's jaw, nipping and biting and leaving marks. He swore every time he felt Judar squirm under his touch he became just a bit harder…

"My Magi…" he breathed into the other's ear, nipping at the shell. " _ My whore. _ " 

He bit down on the lobe of his ear and Judar moaned. Honestly, if Hakuryuu had been touching him properly then he would have come…

"A-all yours, my king," Judar agreed.

And then, just like that, Hakuryuu was pulling away, stubbornly disentangling himself from Judar's tangle of limbs. Judar whined again, but it went ignored as Hakuryuu sat on the edge of the bed.

He snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor in front of him. "On your knees."

Judar swallowed. It was dry, of course it was, he was pretty sure every drop of liquid in his body had been sucked into his dick by now.

_ Fuck. _

How was it possible for Hakuryuu to be this sexy?

"As my king commands." He moved as quickly as he could with how dizzy he was, settling on the floor between Hakuryuu's legs. He blinked up at him through his lashes, sitting up straight and putting himself on full display, completely bare save for the gold metal collar around his neck.

It was a truly wonderful sight for Hakuryuu.

The king finally opened his pants enough to free his own straining erection, shoving them down just enough to reveal it. A single wooden finger trailed under Judar's chin, drawing him closer.

"I'm sure you know what to do."

Judar answered with a cheeky grin. "Hmm, do I? Maybe you should spell it out…"

Hakuryuu smirked. Without warning he grabbed Judar's short hair and yanked him forward, rubbing his cheek against the head of his want.

"Bring your king pleasure with that insidious mouth of yours, Judar."

Judar shuddered, grinning like the madman he was. His only answer was to turn his head and teasingly run his tongue up and over the tip, finally encircling it with his lips and a happy hum. 

Hakuryuu finally moaned outright- he tried to choke back the shameful sound at first, but gave up halfway through. This wasn't the time or place for shame, anyway.

Judar dutifully bobbed his head up and down. He was  _ experienced _ with the act, to say the least. So much so that he was almost worried- it wouldn't do for him to bring Hakuryuu to a premature end, but then, overwhelming his king with all the pleasure he knew how to give was also an appealing thought…

It took far longer for Hakuryuu to regain his senses this time, understandably. But even in this he wasn't one to be outdone, no matter how obviously…  _ talented _ Judar was. He was very,  _ very _ much enjoying himself, but while it was scandalous he wasn't really sure Judar sucking him off was  _ depraved. _

He reached beside him, brushing his hand against his guandao for just long enough that Solomon's seal began to glow on the blade. Zagan's magic began its work, thin vines and roots snaking up from the floor and encircling Judar's legs, sliding against his skin.

"Mm?" Judar paused in his ministrations, confused for obvious reasons. He didn't pull off - he couldn't interrupt things  _ that _ much - but he patted around and then caught the glow of the metal vessel from the corner of his eyes. Just as he realized what was happening the vines moved further still, caressing his dick and curiously prodding behind him in search of his entrance. The ones moving back were slick, with sap or slime or  _ something _ , and danced teasingly around their target.

Judar finally looked back up at Hakuryuu, red eyes wide. " _ Mmph _ ??" he asked eloquently.

Hakuryuu smirked down at him, brushing fingers ever so lightly over Judar's hollowed cheeks.

"It was the most depraved thing I could think of," he answered simply.

The vines finally penetrated the Magi and Judar felt his eyes roll back. Hakuryuu would truly  _ never  _ cease to amaze him. He did his best to get back to work, to put what little focus he had on rolling his tongue over the straining cock in his mouth. But it was hard- well, a lot of things were  _ hard  _ at the moment _ , _ but focusing was  _ difficult.  _ The thin creeping vines were invasive in such a delectable way, and the ones sliding over his arousal were surely but slowly pushing him closer to the end.

Obviously, Hakuryuu had not promised to bed Judar without putting in the proper preparation. He had done research, had read what he could on the intricacies of intercourse between two men. He had even begun to collect oils and such by his bedside in anticipation, but in the end his creativity in the heat of the moment had given them a much more entertaining solution.

He watched with amusement as Judar struggled to continue with his task, shaking with pleasure and pawing helplessly at his thighs. He pulled more of the vines towards him- the two inside him now were hardly thicker than his hairpin, certainly a far cry from what Judar's body would be accepting soon enough. Two became four, then six, then ten and so on, slowly but surely expanding the girth of the mass to be just shy of his own.

Judar was close, too close, racing to try and finish his task as dictated by his blessed king before he came undone. But  _ oh _ how he wanted to just revel in the pleasure, to drown in the utter depravity of being  _ spitroasted  _ by Hakuryuu and Zagan. It was too good,  _ Hakuryuu  _ was too good. His gorgeous pitch black king had come up with something so  _ delectably _ twisted, so debaucherously wonderful, so, so…

That was it, Judar finally came, the sound of his cries reverberating around Hakuryuu's length still planted firmly inside his mouth. His seed spattered onto his chest and over the floor as the plants continued to stroke him perfectly, almost as though they were milking him for more. His muscles tensed and strained, the orgasm hitting  _ hard _ and wracking his body in a way he surely hadn't felt for years, if ever before. But even as he fell limp the vines never stopped moving, relentlessly continuing to pump and writhe and fuck. Before he could even think about moving Hakuryuu's hand was back in his hair, just enough pressure to ensure Judar wouldn't try to abandon his work now that he'd finished, even for a moment.

Judar blinked up at his king with glazed eyes, his body trembling from the overstimulation. 

And here Hakuryuu had thought he was beautiful before.

"Keep going."

Judar complied, struggling to focus his attention back to where it was needed. Hakuryuu himself wasn't far off, the sight of his Magi spilling himself onto the floor burned into his memory and pushed him along to his own climax considerably. Watching Judar like this, bared to him completely, pushing himself through desperation for him and only him…

" _ I… _ "

His hand tightened in the Magi's hair and yanked him back as he came. It was so much, so much more than anything he had ever felt before, his toes curling and body quaking as ropes of his cum spattered across Judar's face.

" _ Judar! _ "

As the final waves of his orgasm passed he slumped forward, catching his weight with the wooden hand gripping the bed. It had been enough for him to lose control of his magic, the vines tormenting Judar finally falling limp where they lay. 

Judar was half hard again from it all, drinking in the sight of Hakuryuu's debauched expression as his king basked in the afterglow.

They locked eyes, Hakuryuu's mismatched ones now more hazy than Judar's glittering crimson. Slowly, the Magi raised his hand, his thumb collecting the smear of white nearest his lips for his tongue to dart out and clean it. Hakuryuu felt himself twitch.

"You're filthy." It was said as a compliment.

Judar grinned. "Who's fault is that? You're the one who yanked me back and made me waste such an exquisite meal." As he said it he gathered even more on his fingers, continuing to clean them off one by one.

Hakuryuu smirked. "I see. How rude of me."

They both took a moment to collect their breath, knowing full well this wasn't the end of things. Judar ran his gaze carefully over the man sitting above him, taking in all the little details. Hair was starting to fall loose from the top knot, his sleeves clung to his arms in places from the sweat, his wooden hand twitched every so often as though it were harder for him to control. As his eyes continued down he noticed the mess he'd made on the floor, specifically that some had splashed onto Hakuryuu's foot.

Perfect.

With such an opportunity he was sure he could cut Hakuryuu's recovery time in half, so he leaned down without hesitation, sticking his tongue out as far as it went and lapping the stain up from the skin. 

"It's one thing if it's me, but it's different if it's my king, right?" Judar asked before kissing his foot again. When he glanced up Hakuryuu's dick was already back at attention, that possessive, needy look filling his king's eyes once again.

Hakuryuu licked his lips.

"Judar."

"Hmm?" Judar responded with a grin, crossing his arms over Hakuryuu's lap and propping his head up with his hand.

Hakuryuu smirked that devious, sinfully attractive smirk and waved his hand. Judar gasped at the sudden feeling of the vines moving again, letting out a small whimper at the feeling of them removing themselves.

He reached down and held Judar's face in both his hands, instinctively careful to avoid the mess smeared across it. He leaned in as though to kiss him, but stopped just short of his lips to speak.

"I want to feel every part of you, for you to give yourself to me completely."

It was said with such a serious expression, for a moment Judar was transfixed. Then he grinned, that one bright expression that bled joy and mirth through the madness and loathing. He reached up and draped his arms around Hakuryuu's neck, pulling him just that little bit closer.

"You already have me. Take whatever you want, Hakuryuu." It was almost sweet, even coming from someone as tainted as him.

Their lips finally met, Judar could feel the rukh buzzing joyously around them. The kiss was heady and hot, full of desire but not rushed. Even bent at odd angles as they were, even with Hakuryuu too aware of the taste of his own spunk, it went on for a while. Finally Judar pulled the ornament out of Hakuryuu's hair, tossing it somewhere amongst the pillows in favor of combing hair fingers through the freed strands. Hakuryuu pulled back, but only for a moment.

"Come here." 

He tugged on Judar's arms and pulled the other man into his lap with no resistance. They went back to kissing, but like this Hakuryuu could trace his hand over every muscle, feel every inch of bare skin. He could feel his cock pressed firmly against Judar's ass, but not yet. He took his time, even as his touch ran over that part of him, squeezing, caressing, massaging… He wouldn't stop until he had felt  _ all  _ of him.

Judar hummed at each one. They weren't the crying moans from before, but that was fine. Things were slower, but they weren't any less sexual- it was  _ sensual _ , rather than a crashing storm Hakuryuu was taking him apart piece by piece. 

Judar let his own hands roam, slipping under Hakuryuu's yi and tracing the edge of his scars. They were something he loved, the physical proof that he was just the same as him. He felt Hakuryuu shiver, but never pull away. He never stopped him, even began to lean into the touches. It made Judar's heart flutter, because he knew no one,  _ no one _ , had ever been allowed to touch Hakuryuu here before. It was something Hakuryuu would accept only for him…

Finally Hakuryuu fell back on the bed and flipped them, trying to resituate their positions to do things properly. He hiked Judar's leg over his shoulder, lined himself up properly, then paused.

He almost asked him if he was ready, but then realized how stupid of a question that was.

He looked Judar over carefully, one last time. He was beautiful like this, even shamelessly covered in filth. Somehow, because it was Judar, the chaotic, uncageable demon of destruction, it was still  _ elegant _ in the most contradictory way. Judar did much the same, raking his eyes over Hakuryuu as anticipation hung thick in the air. He was utterly gorgeous, with all the strength and poise of the king he was, even if Judar thought he was still wearing too much. But then, he wasn't about to risk killing the mood  _ now _ with Hakuryuu getting self-conscious. Just that he had been allowed to  _ touch _ the scars had been enough… for now, at least.

Finally, _finally,_ Hakuryuu pushed in, diving in all at once until he was buried to the hilt. They both moaned, the sounds echoing together in a chorus of ecstacy. 

" _ Nn _ ! Hakuryuu…"

"I-  _ it's tight… _ "

Both panted as they adjusted to the feeling. Eventually Judar grinned that  _ I'm gonna say something cheeky _ grin, but just as he opened his mouth to speak Hakuryuu cut him off by pulling back and thrusting back in.

_ "Shit!" _ Was all Judar managed to say. Hakuryuu smirked even though he was enduring the effects of the pleasure himself. Then Judar whined, because Hakuryuu starting then stopping then looking down at him all sexy like that just wasn't  _ fair _ .

"Don't just stop after once!"

Hakuryuu's smirk turned into a grin. "Are you really in the position to be making demands, Judar?"

For as much as Judar was positively  _ swooning _ at the way Hakuryuu was acting now, he decided maybe he was being just a little too passive again. He dug his heel into Hakuryuu's back as leverage to thrust himself on the warm cock filling him up, causing Hakuryuu to jerk forward and moan again.

"You know, I think I am."

Hakuryuu gave a more dangerous smirk this time. Even so, Judar being rebellious and fiesty was just as arousing as him swearing his absolute loyalty. Perhaps because Judar wouldn't be Judar if he were too compliant…

Without warning Hakuryuu finally dove down and captured Judar's lips in another bruising kiss. As Judar wrapped the rest of his limbs around him and he began to finally,  _ blissfully _ move. 

Like this, he and Judar were finally as close as two people could possibly be. There were no barriers between them, he could feel every inch of him  _ inside _ and out. It was such a strange yet absolutely euphoric sensation, the squeeze of flesh around him, the tight ring that gripped his length as he thrusted in and out. He could feel the heat rushing and rising inside him, pooling in his gut and threatening to bubble over, but it never quite made it to his mind that that meant things would be over quickly.

He at least had enough sense to continue to shift around Judar's leg even if he couldn't always remember why he was doing so. Eventually the small shifts ended in the Magi letting out a strangled cry that outshone every one before. Judar's hands fisted in fabric and hair and his head ducked down to bite into Hakuryuu's shoulder, keening as Hakuryuu now rammed into his prostate over and over. Like this it was almost too much…

"Fuck-  _ fuck!  _ Ha- Haku-ry…"

Hakuryuu's breath was coming out in pants, but he managed to force out words anyway. "Say it. Call out for me."

The command caused heat to build in Judar all on its own. " _ Hakuryuu!  _ Haaaa…! Haku- ryuu!  _ Ha! Ku! Ri! Yuu- _ " Each syllable was punctuated by a thrust, and then-

" _ Juda- Aah!" _

That was it. They both came one after the other, Hakuryuu filling Judar leading to Judar spilling over them both. Judar, more used to the sensation, regained sense after his orgasm first, pulling a still shaking and twitching Hakuryuu down into another kiss. The king melted into it easily, used it to ground himself, and soon enough he was pouring every tangled emotion he had into the locking of lips.

Eventually everything slowed, the kiss became languid and Hakuryuu sat up enough to pull out before collapsing onto the pillows exhausted. That had taken far more energy than he had expected it to, and yet for as tired as he felt he was also... content. 

He stared at Judar laid out next to him, his own expression filled with an emotion he had yet to quantify but he was sure was unique to the experience of making love. Then again, maybe that was it. Surely, what they had just done compared to Judar servicing him before was the difference between  _ making love _ and just sex. It was a line he had never realized was so simultaneously easy and difficult to draw, something he would have never really understood if he had not just experienced it first hand.

He reached behind him to the collection of oils and such he had gathered for the occasion and came back with a handkerchief, reaching to Judar and carefully wiping his face clean. It had been a pretty sight, but the time for that was over. Judar would spread the mess everywhere if it wasn't taken care of quickly, and besides that…

He wanted to see Judar's expression uninterrupted.

The way Judar was looking at him now was almost unbearable. His eyes were brimming with affection and adoration, his whole being radiating joy and a happiness that was so  _ honest _ . It almost seemed  _ wrong,  _ the contradiction that somehow the afterglow made Judar, of all people, look  _ innocent _ . Or maybe it wasn't the afterglow, but something else…

And then Hakuryuu realized.

It was love.

The feeling he couldn't quantify burning in his chest, the unbridled look in Judar's eyes, it was the same thing. He  _ loved  _ him _.  _ It wasn't flightful fancy, it wasn't a petty crush, it was  _ love.  _ His Magi, his beloved…

Now that Judar was clean he'd settled next to him, an arm draped lazily over his waist and drawing patterns idly on his back.

"...As long as I have you nothing will stand in our way." It was with a smile far too soft for a threat against the world.

Judar's eyes sparked even brighter at the declaration, his whole face beaming radiantly. Everything Hakuryuu said always seemed to make him fall for him a little more. "Yeah! I'm your Magi, I'll always be here to make you even stronger!"

Hakuryuu's smile widened as he reached out to brush Judar's hair behind his ear. Judar leaned into the touch, using the motion as an excuse to settle closer to his king. Hakuryuu thought then that maybe he should say what he was feeling out loud, but it seemed so pointless. Judar obviously already knew, just as it was now so painfully obvious how madly in love Judar was with him. Instead he kissed him, short and tender, before rolling onto his back and making himself comfortable. He pulled the sheets up and kicked his pants the rest of the way off, it was time to settle in for the rest of the night and bask in what had just transpired.

Judar cozied up to him, resting his chin on Hakuryuu's shoulder and tangling their legs together. Hakuryuu was surprised he found that so comfortable.

"Hm…"

Judar blinked up at his king as the hum was heard, confused to finally see something that  _ wasn't  _ an utterly blissed out expression gracing his features.

"What?"

"In the end what we did wasn't that depraved, don't you think?" The actual act had been what they called 'vanilla' he was pretty sure.

Judar snorted. Of course that's what Hakuryuu was worried about. "So we got a little distracted, who cares! Doing the real kinky shit always takes a bunch of planning beforehand anyways. We'll get to it next time."

Hakuryuu glanced down at the Magi from the corner of his eye. "Next time? That's a bold assumption."

Judar immediately pouted. "Hey! Hakuryuu that's not funny!"

Hakuryuu smirked. "I disagree."

Satisfied that Hakuryuu was  _ actually _ kidding, he settled back down. "Next time you should let me take the reins."

Hakuryuu hummed. "I am curious what it feels like…" Judar had obviously enjoyed himself, but it seemed like such an uncomfortable thing…

Judar grinned. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you feel  _ amazing.  _ Only the best for my precious king, right?"

Hakuryuu smirked again. "Maybe, then."

Judar clearly took that as a 'yes' and began to radiate excitement, snuggling closer and burying his face in Hakuryuu's hair. It was cute, honestly, and Hakuryuu found himself smiling again. If it made Judar this happy then he could manage trying the receiving end of things.

Judar let out a happy little sigh. "We're gonna rule the world together…"

Right then, Hakuryuu really would have conquered the whole world just to be able to lay it at Judar's feet. "Yes."

Like that, wrapped up together in each other's arms, they finally fell asleep.


	5. Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry everyone, this update comes pretty late >< the last couple of days have been a shit show for me, but in finally starting to do better.
> 
> the good news, though, is that technically I was going to post two chapters this week anyway, since one of them is so short. enjoy!

He had done it.

He'd won, he'd become Emperor.

But none of it mattered without Judar.

In a grand twist of fate that made him want to curse it all over again, it was Morgiana, his first love, who had stopped him from following his beloved to the grave. She had to keep going for Alibaba's sake, she said. So then that meant he would have to keep living for Judar…

They formed a strong bond, not as anything romantic, but rather in kinsmenship as widow and widower. One night, behind closed doors and with too much alcohol, he had found himself bawling on the floor, half draped over Morgiana's lap and spilling his guts about anything and everything that was Judar. How close they had become, how he had waited too long to accept him, how much he regretted not telling him he loved him… That night she came to understand how deep his wounds ran and how similar they were to her own, and they had been nigh inseparable since. 

He knew Judar would have been disappointed, seeing him abdicate the throne, seeing his rukh turn white as it mixed with Kouen's, seeing that Kouen was alive at all… but there was one thing he knew Judar would absolutely  _ never _ forgive, and that was letting that woman continue on now that he knew she was still alive. If nothing else he could throw himself at that goal recklessly, helping Aladdin eliminate the final dregs of the organization he and Judar had sworn their vengeance against.

Three long, grueling years had passed.

In all that time, there were days he thought maybe he  _ should _ try starting over with Morgiana, that it would be better for both of them to move on rather than wallow in their losses. But he could never bring himself to do it. Even after three years the wounds felt too fresh.

And then, suddenly, Alibaba was back.

They saw him through the public clairvoyance screenings, helping Kou while Hakuryuu had abandoned it for supposedly greater and more personal missions.

It stung.

But it also brought hope.

Because if Alibaba was back, then maybe, Judar…

But Judar wouldn't be clumsy enough to make himself known so broadly. And in the dark continent, assuming Judar still  _ had  _ the netsumegusa, he wouldn't be able to sense it on the other side of the rift. He would have to wait until they finally had the chance to cross over…

Then they finally did.

They found Alibaba. It was hard not to focus on the reconciliation and catching up with such an old friend. But then, as he told the tale of where he'd been Hakuryuu heard the one thing he had been wanting since that day 3 years ago.

Judar was alive.

He was in shock, too eager to hear the things Judar had done in his absence to register that he could just _go to_ _him_ now. Then Alibaba made a big scene and proposed to Morgiana, because of course he did, and for all that Hakuryuu was happy for them all of his thoughts stayed with the man he knew was waiting for him somewhere in the world.

Not only was Judar alive, but he could sense him, feel that he still carried the seeds that would lead them back to each other. 

He had almost started crying right then, but at least everyone was distracted by the celebration at the time. He waited until he'd collected himself to tell Aladdin he was leaving. Just Aladdin- the others would try to make him stay or go with him, and this was obviously something he needed to do on his own.


	6. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, the point where the tone totally changes from edgy boys to soft boys XD The segment in the village is gonna take a few chapters- it got way out of hand and is way longer than i was intending XD
> 
> Poor ryuu has anxiety now.

Hakuryuu followed the netsumegusa to a small village in the far east plains. He was worried, it seemed like the sort of place Judar would complain about, maybe the netsumegusa had been some sort of fluke…

But then, before he had barely even made it past the first building he saw him. Judar standing in the middle of a humble dirt road with roots of the seeds climbing over his legs. The second they sprouted he must have come running.

"Ha... kury… " Judar was looking at him like he'd seen a ghost. Preposterous, given he had been the one who'd died.

"Judar?" As the name spilled from his lips he felt his guandou fall from his grasp and clatter to the ground. It was a metal vessel, he should care, but he didn't.

In the next moment Judar had flown to him, crashing into his arms and knocking them both onto the ground. Hakuryuu finally started sobbing- he couldn't take it anymore, it had been so long…

"Are- are you crying?" he heard Judar ask, feeling the Magi's hands pawing at his face to wipe away the tears that obviously answered his question.

" _ Shut up! _ " he snapped, but there was no bite. He was too busy holding onto Judar for dear life, as though he were afraid if he let go he would drift away into the sky again.

What did surprise him was that Judar didn't make fun of him, didn't come back with some teasing quip about him getting his hair wet or something similar. When he finally blinked through the tears enough to look down at him he understood why.

Judar was crying too.

That was too much. He buried his face in the Magi's hair and started bawling again. Judar's few streaking tears may not have been the same gross sobbing as Hakuryuu, but they were tears all the same. When he had managed to catch enough of his breath he pulled back, taking Judar's face in both his hands and finally,  _ finally _ crashing their lips together. The Magi clung to him as they kissed, reveling in the feeling both of them had gone far too long without.

But it was something short lived. Kissing Judar brought feelings from a time when it felt like at least his heart had been stronger. Guilt bubbled up and and pulled back, breaking back down into sobs.

"I'm sorry- I'm  _ so  _ sorry! I wasn't strong enough to protect you-"

"Hakuryuu-"

"I- I failed as your king. I abdicated the throne, I let Kouen live-"

"Wait- Kouen's  _ alive _ !?"

Judar's shock was enough to stop Hakuryuu from rambling. That's right, he was sure Judar had spent time learning what had happened in the world, but he would only know what the public knew. Hakuryuu raised his left hand to wipe his eyes to explain, it was the least he could do, but then-

"Your  _ hand _ !"

Hakuryuu blinked and let it fall from his face. That's right, Judar wouldn't know about this either. He watched the Magi turn it over and examine it, as though he thought it might be another impressive prosthetic rather than human flesh and blood.

"...it's Kouen's. He used Phenex to give me this and his legs. That's why…"

Judar listened to the explanation in wide eyed shock, his gaze drifting to something much less readable when he spoke.

"...I guess it is kinda a dick move to behead a guy after he gave you his limbs, huh…"

"Mm." Hakuryuu agreed. He really couldn't bring himself to do it, in the end.

"So you faked the execution?" Judar asked. He still wasn't looking at him. 

"Yeah… Aladdin used magic…" Hakuryuu watched Judar's fist clench at the mention of the name. He had spent all this time helping another Magi, the one who'd  _ killed _ him, of course he'd be mad…

They were both quiet for a while. The silence was awkward and heavy, Hakuryuu was afraid Judar would just get up and leave the whole time. Eventually Judar leaned back and looked up at the sky, his arms stretched out behind him and propping him up. Hakuryuu waited patiently for him to speak.

"Hey, Hakuryuu, I really… hate this new world." He had only been gone for two years, but everything had changed completely when he returned. It almost felt like he had never made it home at all. "There's no fighting anymore. But, are people's lives really better…? Look at what happened to Kou- they just, changed all the rules and took away our dignity! Instead of fighting with their lives they're just extorting people into doing what they want! Even I… think that's fucked up…"

Hakuryuu listened closely, soaking in Judar's words one at a time. He must have suffered, having to adapt in the year he'd already spent here. In this new world, it really felt like there wasn't room for people like them to exist at all. They had finally escaped it all, fought tooth and nail to be able to live their lives freely. But for Judar this was surely the same as being trapped, having a new world have too much control over how he lived felt the same as Al-Tharmen puppeteering him, didn't it…

"...I'm sorry I didn't avenge you, but…"

" _ But. _ " And the way Judar spat that one word spoke volumes. Relying on Aladdin's strength was the ultimate betrayal, failing to seek vengeance was an anathema. He should have struck Aladdin down right then and there, should have hunted him down the ends of the earth. But he… couldn't. He just couldn't, not when he saw Alibaba's death breaking his heart the same way Judar's had his own. 

Maybe, at the time, he had convinced himself Aladdin deserved to suffer alone in this world, but he didn't think Judar would buy that now.

Besides, the reason he'd made the choices he had, the reason the world was like this now…

He finally looked Judar in the eye. 

"She's still alive."

" _ What!? _ "

Judar shot up, sitting forward again with eyes full of panic and rage.

" _ How!? _ We watched that bitch fucking explode! You cut off her head!"

"...Arba had been possessing Ren Gyoukuen's body since before I was born. When we killed her, her spirit survived and possessed my sister."

"Wh- then what the hell are we doing here!? Let's go save Hakuei!" Judar was already trying to scramble to his feet, Hakuryuu grabbed his wrist to slow him down.

"Judar, it's alright! We already did that." Judar paused, his expression falling into something dejected as he plopped back down on the ground. Hakuryuu regretted how he'd explained things immediately, watching Judar sulk about being left out like that. He couldn't blame him…

"...But, she got away again?"

Hakuryuu nodded and Judar scoffed loudly. "That fucking bitch…"

There was another pause, but Judar was slowly relaxing this time. He broke the silence again, raking a hand through his own hair. "I never thought I'd be relieved to hear that bitch was alive…"

"What?"

Judar jumped just slightly, as though he hadn't been aware he'd said that out loud. "I mean, she needs to just fucking die. But, all the weird things you've been doing make sense now, is all…"

Oh.

Hakuryuu managed a small, tentative smile. Maybe he and Judar did still understand each other. He had been afraid…

Judar continued to stare off to the side with his hand on his neck. "For a minute there I was worried you'd gone and changed, but…" he finally turned back to Hakuryuu, taking his left hand, the one that was really Kouen's, and lacing their fingers together. "This white rukh, it's just Kouen's fault, right?"

Hakuryuu looked down at their linked hands. Yes, maybe part of the reason his rukh had returned to white was the addition of Kouen's, but if he was being honest it really was only part of the reason…

"I'm not so sure…"

Judar deflated again and Hakuryuu felt his heart break a little. But he couldn't just give up here. For all that he'd been afraid of rejection he had still dared to dream of having Judar back in his arms, and there was still one thing he had promised himself he would tell him…

His other hand joined the one holding Judar's.

"Judar, I-"

But then they were interrupted.

"Anyi! There you are, you just ran off- oh, who's this?"

A middle aged woman with black hair tied off in a loose ponytail had appeared from around the corner of one of the small huts. Judar turned back, recognizing her.

"Auntie! Sorry about that. Do you still need help?"

Hakuryuu could decide what was more confusing, the strange name she'd called Judar, Judar calling this strange woman auntie, or the fact that he had just _actually_ _apologized_ to another human.

It was then Hakuryuu finally realized where they were. Looking more closely it was obvious, this woman also had those bright red eyes.

Hakuryuu picked up his guandao and used it to help him stand, pulling Judar up at the same time. He bowed politely.

"I am Ren Hakuryuu, first prince of the Kou Empire. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, ma'am. You have my gratitude for taking care of Judar in my absence." He had considered dropping his title for a number of reasons- for one it was hardly more than a short lived formality since he had abdicated, and there was the fact he was  _ technically _ a wanted man. But then, with his scars and the modern advances of the world it wasn't as though he was unrecognizable, it would be more insulting to pretend people wouldn't be able to figure out who he was.

"My, what a gentleman your friend is,  _ Anyi. _ " The way she said it sounded  _ just a little _ like she was correcting his name.

"Nah, he's just stuffy like that." He said like Hakuryuu wasn't there. At least that sounded like the Judar he knew.

He looked back at Hakuryuu over his shoulder and waved him forward. "C'mon. You're actually super useful in a kitchen, you can help Auntie too."

"Oh, alright…" he was getting just a bit of whiplash. It was like their earlier conversation hadn't happened at all.

The woman scoffed as she began to lead them back through the village "A prince who can cook for himself? I'll believe it when I see it."

Hakuryuu shrugged his shoulders a bit self consciously. Maybe he should have dropped his title after all…

***

The next hour or so went by quickly but was exceptionally bizzarre. They made their way through the village Judar had been born in, with anyone they passed being happily greeted by Judar as Auntie, Uncle, or Cousin. It was strange, in the palace Judar was revered as high priest, when they traveled he had been feared as a Magi and harbinger of destruction, but here, here he was just  _ Anyi _ , treated as though he were a simple farm boy who had lived there his entire life.

He felt incredibly out of place, to say the least.

Unsurprisingly, the people here were not overly fond of the empire that had sanctioned the razing of their homes and kidnapping of their precious nephew. By extension they were  _ unfond _ of the man who had been Emperor, even if that had all happened long before his time. He didn't blame them, of course. As Emperor it was his duty to bear the grudges that were held against the empire personally. 

But that didn't make the fact that Judar's family clearly hated him hurt any less.

Eventually they had arrived at Auntie's house. There was food laid out all over the kitchen along with a few of the new worlds magic tools. A FanFan refrigerator in the corner, a few lamps that glowed without oil- nothing fancy, but enough to be a reminder things weren't as they once were.

Rather than gain respect, Judar's Auntie seemed more annoyed at the revelation that Hakuryuu could, in fact, cook for himself just fine. The whole time Judar seemed to ignore all the little glares and passive aggressive comments shot his way. But then, Judar must have been mad at him too, he had every right to be…

"Oh! Anyi, it seems I just used the last of the rice. Would you be a dear and go borrow some from your uncle across the lane?"

Judar put down what he'd been stirring. That was another thing, Judar certainly hadn't had any idea what to do in a kitchen before, but now…

"Yeah, sure!"

"I'll go with you-"

"Nono, you need to stay and finish this or it won't be done in time!" As she said it she dropped more fruit next to Hakuryuu's cutting board. He gave one last glance at Judar before replying with a polite smile. "...of course. I'm happy to help where I'm needed."

He went back to dicing, hoping the moments alone with the woman wouldn't be too awkward. But then, he had a sinking suspicion there was plenty of rice in those cabinets.

And then suddenly there was a knife sticking out of the cutting board an inch away from his hand.

Auntie still had a hand on the blade, the other was viciously brandishing a spoon his way. 

"U-um…" a normal human wasn't a real threat to a metal vessel user, but it was still extremely awkward and upsetting.

"Don't you think I didn't notice those tears dried on my precious nephew's face. If you make him cry again I'll make sure that eye of yours is more than  _ half  _ blind, you understand!?" Suddenly that spoon was a lot more intimidating.

If there had been any doubt she was Judar's relative it was certainly gone now.

Once he regained his composure he bowed again. "I give you my word. I will do everything in my power to ensure no harm comes to him in any form, be that physical or emotional. I have already failed him once, and the strength I have gained since that day has all been for the sake of guaranteeing that never happens again."

She was thuroughly unimpressed. "...what are your intentions toward my nephew?"

Hakuryuu looked up, a bit surprised by the question. Surely she wasn't asking if... "Pardon?"

"You heard me! You imperial dogs are all the same, you're just here to abuse his power because he was blessed as a Magi!"

Hakuryuu stood up straight, his expression hardening. He would take many things, would happily bear the burden of Kou's crimes on his own shoulders, but he would not let anyone insinuate he was simply  _ using _ Judar as means to an end.

"With all due respect, that is not true at all. Were he to lose all the power he wields and become a normal man I would still lay down my life for him. He is the only person in this world who has ever truly understood me, and I will fight tooth and nail to protect that bond, be those who stand in my way my own family or his."

The air was tense, but then Auntie finally lowered her spoon, wearing a surprisingly satisfied expression.

"So, you're not entirely spineless, good to know. I had been wondering why he had seemed so fond of you, Ren Hakuryuu, First Prince of Kou." Yeah, he  _ definitely _ should have dropped his title.

But at least she finally seemed to hold some respect for him. He was confused as to  _ why _ , blinking as she turned back to her own preparations, but it was certainly best not to look this gift horse in the mouth.

"I'm back! Uncle insisted on giving way too much, as usual." Judar proclaimed as he floated through the door, oblivious to what had just transpired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope i didnt take too many liberties with Judars home town. I liked the idea of him being aggressively adopted even if it was by somewhat distant relatives.
> 
> I chose Anyi 安怡 for his name for the meaning, something close to 'peace and harmony' or 'peace and tranquility', because Hakuryuu said it 'didnt suit him at all'. I wanted him to have a properly Chinese name, rather than one that is read in Japanese like the Ren's names, I thought it was a nice way to highlight the difference between the territories in Kou, assuming Judars hometown is somewhere that used to be Gou or Gai. I tried really hard to be sure it was something that actually made sense and was a real name, but obviously I dont speak any languages that originated in China and I know names in Chinese can be extra tricky >< It's probably way too modern or a euphemism somehow but oh well :')
> 
> I would also like to say that this chapter is primarily from Hakuryuu's perspective and all may not be as it seems ;)


	7. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I have finished >< My brain has been soup for the last few days- I probably used to have relevant notes for this chapter but can not remember them at all if I did >>

Dinner was prepared and served. In the end it seemed like half the village had stopped by at some point, if not to share in the meal than to simply visit and talk about their day.

_ "Anyi this makeup from Heliohapt is so amazing, thank you!" _

_ "It worked cousin! Now that I've been wearing those clothes from Balbaad she finally agreed to go out with me!" _

_ "Big brother Anyi show me that magic trick again!" _

_ "Anyi help me braid my hair all pretty like yours!" _

Judar really was loved here. It was impossible not to smile, watching him actually just  _ be happy _ and share a meal with his family like a normal man. 

For Judar, this must have been the first time he felt what it was like to be loved simply for being himself.

Well,

Not the  _ first  _ time…

Hakuryuu managed to slip away from the crowd, sitting outside and staring up at the moonlit sky. It was hard not to shake the feeling that maybe, now that Judar had all this, he didn't need him anymore…

Then he saw the dust shift next to him out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look Judar was there, sitting next to him quietly.

"Hey."

"Hey…"

Things didn't used to be this awkward.

"...So what, 15 of me too much for you to handle?" Judar teased, a round about way of asking why he'd left.

It made Hakuryuu smile. "They're a lively bunch, I'll give you that."

Then it was too quiet again, cicadas chirping in the distance.

"I'm sorry, I…"

But before he could collect his thoughts Judar cut him off.

" _ Stop fucking apologizing!" _

Hakuryuu jumped, turning to face Judar only to see his eyes brimming with anger and hurt.

"What? But I-" apparently confusion was also the wrong answer. Judar stood up, looking down at him with disdain.

"What happened to the Hakuryuu full of conviction? My king doesn't  _ grovel _ ." And with that he stormed off.

Hakuryuu sat there with his jaw hanging open, utterly dumbstruck. He had no idea how long he'd sat there, trying to sort out what the hell had just happened.

Where was his conviction? He was groveling?

_ I will fight tooth and nail to protect that bond _ .

That was it, that was why Auntie had finally begun to take him seriously. Because it was the first time he had stood his ground, had shown  _ conviction.  _ All those years, Judar had loved him because he had been tearing down  _ mount _ ains for the sake of his goals, had not once given up in the face of the greatest despair or adversity. Compared to then, this  _ would _ seem like groveling. Judar had said he would never forgive him if he became weak, and he-

Oh no.

He was an  _ idiot. _

Judar wasn't mad about all the things that had happened, he was mad at the way he'd presented them. Talking about his choices like they were mistakes, expecting Judar to hate him for them…

He finally ran back into the small home. Judar was long gone, but surely-

"Do you know where Judar is?"

Auntie gave him another unimpressed look. "Hmm, he's mad at you again. You've not already broken your promise, Ren Hakuryuu? I thought the word of a prince was worth at least a little more."

This time Hakuryuu stared her down with determination. "If you really think he's so weak to be that injured by just this, then fine, don't tell me. But I can't set things right if I can't talk to him."

She regarded him carefully for a long moment. Then finally, she gave him directions.

***

Hakuryuu found the small hut that had been reconstructed from ashes, Judar's family home. He paused for just a moment before pushing through- no, now wasn't the time to hesitate.

Inside, Judar was curled up in a blanket, lounging on a pile of pillows in front of a small clairvoyance screen, watching the news. No, not just the news, Hakuryuu had almost missed it with Judar scrambling to turn the thing off the moment he came through the door, but he'd been watching old recordings from the time he'd been Emperor…

Judar sat up, tossing the blanket aside to make sure he looked intimidating.

"What do you want?"

"I didn't lose my conviction. I was only using whatever means necessary to achieve my goal."

" _ Really. _ " Judar scoffed, not buying a word. He stood, stalking over to Hakuryuu.

"It's no different than when I had to rely on Sindria in the civil war."

"Uh,  _ yeah it is. _ " Judar snapped. He'd closed the space between them, jabbing his finger into the other man's chest as he spoke. "What  _ goal _ could you  _ possibly  _ have that you would actually turn yourself into such a spineless-"

"I love you."

Hakuryuu caught Judar's hand between them, lacing the fingers together. Judar stopped and sputtered, his face slowly heating.

"Wh-"

"More than I hate her."

If Judar had been flustered before, now he was completely beyond words. Just what the  _ hell _ was he saying!? Their hate was everything, it was  _ endless _ . He couldn't- and why  _ now _ !? After all this time, after all the waiting, he couldn't just-

"That's why my rukh turned white, even though I was drowning in the despair of your death."

_ No no no _ . That was impossible, that didn't-

"That's why-"

"Shut up!"

Hakuryuu continued undeterred, expression as serious as ever. "- I'm not sorry that I've changed, or for what I've done. And I'm not sorry for lying and saying that I was, because-"

"Hakuryuu, shut  _ up! _ "

"You were worth trampling my own pride for. Though it was foolish of me to think that would have won you over. But it's been three years-"

"Just stop  _ talking _ !"

"And even if you won't admit that I'm not the only one who's changed, it's fine. So you can hold that against me all you want, but I won't give up on you so easily. Because I-"

This time Judar cut him off with brute force, grabbing Hakuryuu's face and crashing their lips together. Hakuryuu immediately wrapped his arms around him, finally able to hold his Magi tightly again. The moment they parted Judar spat out all at once,

" _ I love you too! _ "

And then he buried his face in the crook of Hakuryuu's neck, mumbling into the skin. "But… there's still a lot of things I probably hate more…"

Hakuryuu smiled. "I don't mind."

"Who said I cared if you did! You stupid, melodramatic…"

Hakuryuu smirked at that. "Oh,  _ I'm _ the melodramatic one."

" _ Fuck you! _ "

Of course, there was no bite to it, Judar was still clinging to him desperately. He combed his fingers through Judar's hair.

"You can't cry, I promised your Auntie I wouldn't make you cry again."

Judar sniffed. "Who's crying!? You're the crybaby! And what are you doing talking to her about things like that anyway!?"

Judar finally pulled back enough to look at him, and to his credit he wasn't  _ technically _ crying, but he was very close.

"She threatened to gouge my eye out with a spoon."

Judar huffed. "Just the eye? She went easy on you then…"

Hakuryuu raised an eyebrow, but decided it was definitely better not to go down that rabbit hole. 

"Can I stay here for the night?" He asked instead. He didn't want to come off as being too weak willed again, but this was Judar's family home, it was… different. And Judar was obviously still raw, or might not want his family getting ideas or-

"If you try to leave I'm tying you to the bed." Judar answered, already dragging Hakuryuu back to the pillow pile that made up the living space.

Hakuryuu smirked. "You'd do that regardless."

Judar smirked back. "What can I say? You have such tieable wrists, Hakuryuu~"

They both plopped down into the nest of pillows, Judar crawling into Hakuryuu's lap and pulling the blanket over them. He had to admit, he'd missed this. A lot. It was just a bit surreal still, because-

Hakuryuu finally said he  _ loved _ him.

Like, a fucking  _ lot. _

_ Love. _

He nuzzled him at the thought.

Hakuryuu smiled and kissed his hair in return. "So,"

"So?" Judar asked back, blinking up at him questioningly.

" _ Anyi. _ "

Judar blushed a bit and looked away. "...it's what my parents named me. Apparently, it was Al-Tharmen that gave me the name Judar. If I had never left I'd be Zhao Anyi."

Hakuryuu nodded. "What do you want me to call you?"

Judar glared. "Anyi doesn't ever leave this fucking village, understand!? I'm still Judar damnit!".

Hakuryuu smirked, he couldn't not, it wasn't common to see Judar so embarrassed. "So, Zhao Judar then." He teased.

"Magi don't need surnames! The brat, the drifter, and the old hag never had one either!" Hakuryuu chuckled, Judar was too cute. He decided to be merciful and  _ not _ point out they had technically learned Aladdin's surname and Titus still had one after he took up Scheherazade's mantle.

"Oh come on, it doesn't sound that bad. How's it written?" At that Judar went quiet, blushing and refusing to answer. So  _ that _ was why he was so embarrassed.

Hakuryuu shifted Judar in his lap to hold him closer, bringing a hand up to trail delicately over his cheek. "You won't even tell your king?"

Judar whined. "You're awful!"

"Yes." He pressed a kiss to his temple. "So, how is it written?"

Judar sighed in defeat. "Don't laugh." He warned as he started drawing the Kou script in the air with magic. Hakuryuu read them when he finished, more than familiar with the unique language of Kou names. Obviously, it was pronounced Anyi, but characters' meanings in Kou's written word were:

_ Peace and Harmony _ .

Hakuryuu covered his mouth with his hand to try and contain his snickering.

"I said don't laugh, damnit!" Judar snapped as swatted the characters out of the air.

"It's just- it doesn't fit you at  _ all. _ " The Magi known for causing wanton destruction and starting wars was named  _ peace and harmony. _ Even Judar would have to admit it was funny.

"Don't you think I know that!?" Judar pouted, curling up more against Hakuryuu only to find that just made him more aware of the king's laughter. So he slipped out of his lap all together, burying himself in the pillows and taking the blanket with him.

It would have been cute if it didn't seem like he was actually upset.

Hakuryuu fidgeted awkwardly with the clothes in his now empty lap. He should have known better than to think they could just go back to the way things were so easily.

Judar muttered something that was muffled by layers of fabric and stuffing.

"Could you speak up?"

Judar shot his arm out of the pile to knock some of the offending pillows away.

"I  _ said _ I can't believe you thought I'd leave you over all that stupid shit!"

Hakuryuu sat up straight as Judar said it outright, blushing just a bit from embarrassment. So that really was why he had been so mad before…

Hakuryuu bit his tongue. He wanted to apologize, but that was just going to make Judar more angry. He hadn't gotten a chance to address that particular piece of all this during his declaration because Judar had interrupted him, and because he had he'd gone and thought everything was fine but… damn. What was he supposed to say now?

"...I've already lost you once, I think it's fair for me to be a little paranoid." He tried.

Judar frowned. "...I guess that's a little fair. But I still think it's stupid."

Well, that could have been worse, at least.

"...I love you, Judar." He repeated.

Judar huffed. "Yeah and I love you, you fucking imbecilic moron!"

That also could have been worse. Hopefully that meant they were making progress.

And then Judar's face turned serious again. 

"...so stop acting like you're the only one with regrets…"

Hakuryuu straightened again, looking confused and worried. To him, everything that happened to Judar had been out of the Magi's control. He couldn't imagine what there was for him to regret.

"What?"

Judar glared. "Don't ' _ what _ ' me! I fucking failed as your Magi! I let that stupid brat beat me and couldn't even save your legs!"

For a moment Hakuryuu shrunk back from the shouting. He felt like an idiot again- of course Judar would blame himself for all that. It wasn't different than Hakuryuu blaming himself for everything that had happened in the last 3 years.

Finally he managed a sad smile. "In the end, I guess we are still the same..."

Judar frowned, looking at the ceiling. "Because we're both fuck ups?"

"Maybe…" Hakuryuu agreed reluctantly. "But… I think I'd rather fail with you than win with anyone else."

Judar turned back to him at that, shocked and blushing, before turning his head the other way stubbornly.

Hakuryuu continued. "...I never blamed you for any of that. I always blamed myself for not being able to save you. If I had been able to defeat Alibaba without such grievous injuries then maybe…"

Judar huffed. "If I needed to be saved at all then I failed."

Hakuryuu deflated a bit as his attempts to console Judar continued to fail. His face continued to fall until it became a deep frown. The room was quiet again, then finally Hakuryuu picked up one of the pillows and threw it at the Magi, shouting.

"You don't get to yell at me for not having conviction while you're sitting here throwing yourself a damn pity party! I already told you I don't care about any of that! You still are and always will be my Magi, and as your king I am ordering you to get over it!"

Judar stared, dumbstruck by the tirade and clutching the pillow that had been thrown at him to his chest. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was anger that finally got through to him. He finally smiled, something small for him, but it was still an obvious improvement.

"...hey, Hakuryuu?"

Hakuryuu relaxed as he was addressed calmly. "...yes?"

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." Hakuryuu managed a small, tired smile of his own. "...I love you, so much…"

"You too." Judar repeated again before rolling back onto his back. He hugged the pillow tighter as he stared at the ceiling again.

"...I always loved you. Even when we were just little kids. You were just too dense to notice…"

Hakuryuu felt the shame wash over him at that. It wasn't like this was the first time Judar had pointed it out, it had just always been without directly using a heavy word like  _ love. _ Days spent playing games and being teased in the gardens before Judar would inevitably be dragged away by those awful men had since seemed different in his memory. 

He regretted not taking Judar's hand sooner more than ever. But even so…

"...I spent these last three years agonizing over not telling you my feelings plainly. You can't... just tell me now you felt that way since we were children..."

Judar blinked, more shocked by Hakuryuu answering so seriously than anything, even if he shouldn't be. He finally smirked. "Aw, you regretted it that much just for me? That's really sweet, Hakuryuu."

For as much as it sounded like a taunt, he was being sincere. 

He sat up from his pile, even leaving the blanket behind, in favor of leaning forward and propping his head up on his knees and elbows.

"But you know, even if I had said it back then, you would have just freaked out, right? Even if I was a girl you would have. You can't expect me to tell you I love you when you wouldn't even go to a dungeon with me, Hakuryuu."

Hakuryuu blushed again. He wasn't entirely sure how they'd managed to get here, but… things were fine like this, right? It'd take time- after three years apart, of course it'd take time. In the grand scheme of things, this really wasn't so bad…

"...I suppose you have a point."

Judar was amazing, having waited for him all that time. Well, in heart, at least. Not in body-  _ definitely _ not in body. But even so, the fact that his feelings never faded after years of rejection was…

Judar grinned at Hakuryuu conceding, then flopped over across his lap, stretching his arms over his head in an appealing way. "I'm tired of this. Let's skip to the make up sex where we do all the things I like but you don't because I'm the one who's mad for a change."

Hakuryuu raised an eyebrow. Rather than addressing that at  _ all _ he said, "You have worse mood swings than a drunk pregnant woman."

Judar sat up again, propping himself up with his arms. "Hey! A lot's happened okay!?"

"Oh, so you admit it."

Judar grabbed the nearest pillow and smacked Hakuryuu upside the head before falling back down into his lap. Hakuryuu couldn't really be mad about return fire.

He smiled softly, petting Judar's hair again.

"You're beautiful."

Judar blushed just a little, he always did when Hakuryuu said things like that so seriously.

"Damn straight! I'm the hottest person who's ever lived in that palace, so be grateful!"

Hakuryuu chuckled at the cheeky answer. Judar reached up and started tracing the scar around his eye.

"...You're not exactly bad to look at either."

Hakuryuu smiled wider, leaning into the soft touches. After a moment he brought his own hand to rest over Judar's, holding it gently.

"...I know you don't want to hear me apologize, but I truly am sorry for not having more faith in you. Will you forgive me, Judar?" When he finished speaking he brought Judar's hand to his lips and kissed it.

Judar blushed again and looked away, trying and failing to keep his face from scrunching into a pout.

"You already know the answer to that…"

Hakuryuu smiled again, leaning down to kiss Judar properly. Three years had passed, there were bound to be a few hiccups, but everything would be just fine in the end. The longer they spent cuddled together like this, talking about whatever happened to cross their minds, the closer they got to how things used to be, to everything being so effortless between them…

He wasn't worried anymore. He really had been foolish to worry at all.

When they parted Judar spoke, his fingers twisting in the loose strands of the prince's hair. "Hey, Hakuryuu, I know… we probably won't get to take over the world anymore, but…"

Hakuryuu listened closely. For Judar that was a melancholy thing to be sure- they would have to finally lay all those plans to rest. Even if Judar was still a Magi, this was no longer a world that was really ruled by kings…

"...We can still talk about that sort of thing in bed, right? You're always so sexy when you talk about world domination."

Hakuryuu blushed- the,  _ the wrong side of my face looks like the scar  _ level blush- and looked away. This is what he got for expecting Judar to be sentimental…

"Ah, that's…"

Judar grinned, trailing his finger over Hakuryuu's jaw. "Aww, is my king embarrassed he's still turned on by fucked up things? Deep down inside you're still pretty depraved, aren't you, you sexy little psycho~"

Hakuryuu shivered. Judar was right, but that wasn't the  _ point.  _ He couldn't just  _ say  _ such arousing things like that all of a sudden. It wasn't  _ fair _ .  _ Especially _ because Judar knew full well what talking like that did to him.

Confusingly, when Hakuryuu faced him again to protest Judar was staring up at the ceiling with a giddy expression on his face. He extended his arm, reaching his hand out to something Hakuryuu couldn't see.

"Kouen can suck it!"

"What?"

Judar grinned even brighter as he lowered his hand back to him, a single finger extended as though something were perched on it. "You're rukh weren't wiped completely clean after all! You really are a little depraved still, Hakuryuu!"

He realized then what Judar must have been looking at was a single black rukh- one that belonged to him no less. Something like that should have been a lot to take in, but… Judar was just so  _ happy _ . He couldn't help but smile warmly at him. 

"I'm glad."

He really was. In the end, maybe he had really just been upset with himself for feeling like he had become too different from Judar and had projected those feelings onto him. But he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

Judar grinned that bright, adoring grin at him that felt like it alone could blind him. The Magi wrapped his arms around his neck and sat up enough to lean against his chest, nuzzling him affectionately. Judar looked like what a cat purring sounded like.

He pressed his cheek to Judar's hair, returning the embrace.

"You know, you can't still blame me for being so worried about having changed when you get this excited over just one black rukh."

Judar huffed, but didn't make any move to pull away. "Well of  _ course _ I was at least a little disappointed, but that didn't mean I was going to abandon my king!  _ You're _ the one who blew it out of proportion."

Hakuryuu let his eyes fall shut, drinking in the feeling of Judar pressed against him. "I know."

"And you threw a fit about abdicating, but didn't you do that to run off with Zagan and become a wanted outlaw? Why the  _ hell  _ would you think I'd be upset about that!?"

Hakuryuu opened his eyes again. That wasn't exactly how he would recount those events, but Judar wasn't exactly  _ wrong.  _

"I suppose."

"And well, I  _ am  _ pretty pissed you went and teamed up with fucking  _ Aladdin _ , but since you were fighting the organization I can't blame you that much."

Judar sighed as though he had said something sagely, shifting around a bit to get more comfortable. Finally, he smiled back up at Hakuryuu.

"But! You don't have to rely on that shitty half pint anymore- you have your  _ real _ Magi back."

Hakuryuu smiled in turn, pressing their foreheads together.

"Yes. I… really was hopeless without you, Judar."

"Wha- hey! Don't say things like that now!"

Hakuryuu smiled again, doing his best to sweep the melancholy aside per Judar's request. It was easier than he thought it'd be.

"And what about you? I certainly hadn't expected you to settle down living such a mundane life."

Judar looked embarrassed. "It's not like that! I mean, yeah, it's my home town, but it's just where I'm spending my time off. I was starting another rebellion, I'll have you know!"

Hakuryuu raised an eyebrow. Of course there had been some turbulence as the world had shifted, but there hadn't been any wars anywhere close to what they had fought in before. He would have thought he'd have heard about it if Judar himself was starting something.

"Oh?"

Judar huffed. "It was really awful! There are only really lame vessel users left now! It was really boring… without you…"

Oh no, now even Judar was being sentimental. Hakuryuu felt himself tearing up a little again. He brought his hand to Judar's cheek.

"You won't have to worry about that anymore. I'll always be with you from now on."

Judar blushed again. "Idiot! Who said I was worried!" Despite the harsh words Judar kissed him again, full of the longing from three too long years apart. They both fell back into the mound of pillows, but surprisingly things didn't escalate much beyond that. When they parted Hakuryuu took both of Judar's hands in his own.

"I know you'll fight by my side in the battles to come, but once we defeat what's left of the organization for good, would you do me the honor of starting a life with me here in this new world, Zhao Anyi?"

Judar stared back at Hakuryuu with wide eyes, his whole body shrugging up at the unabashed honesty of Hakuryuu's…

That- that was basically a  _ proposal _ right!?

"I thought I told you not to call me that! And to stop… asking questions you already know the answer to…"

Hakuryuu smiled widely, his expression finally beaming as much as the Magi's had been before.

"Of course, Judar."


End file.
